British young gun Jack Draper is inspired by Emma Raducanu as he eyes the biggest stages on his first appearance at the US Open… and former champion Andy Murray says he expects to play well in his opener
- British hopeful Jack Draper, 20, is making his debut appearance at the US Open
- Draper meets Finn Emil Ruusuvuori and has drawn inspired by Emma Raducanu
- Wimbledon semi-finalist Cameron Norrie and Andy Murray are also in the draw
- Dan Evans, Kyle Edmund and Harriet Dart are also British hopefuls in New York
Only when Jack Draper took in the towering dimensions of the Arthur Ashe Stadium at the weekend did he fully realise the scale of Emma Raducanu’s accomplishment a year ago.
Draper had just arrived ahead of what will be his first senior appearance at the US Open, with the buzz around him getting steadily louder.
‘I was looking at the court and I was just thinking what Emma did last year was unbelievable,’ he said of his friend Raducanu. ‘Seeing how big the court is, the atmosphere around the grounds, to come through qualifying and win here is a really special achievement. So I was thinking, hopefully I can do that one day.’
British star Jack Draper will begin his US Open journey by taking on Finland’s Emil Ruusuvuori
Draper is inspired by Emma Raducanu, whose title defence starts against France’s Alize Cornet
We may be in New York, but for British men’s tennis there is change in the air. The prospects for Draper and Cameron Norrie are fast becoming as much a focus as those of Andy Murray, who plays at 4pm on Monday against the No 24 seed Francisco Cerundolo of Argentina.
Later, Draper will tackle underrated Finn Emil Ruusuvuori, who played an outstanding match to beat him at Queen’s Club prior to Wimbledon.
On the cusp of making the world’s top 50, the 20-year-old from Surrey is one of the fastest risers on the ATP Tour. His left-handed game brings with it a bagful of problems for opponents.
He underlined that by beating world No 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas at this month’s Canadian Open. It will be fascinating to see who ends up having a better career, him or Raducanu. It could yet be close.
Cameron Norrie is going to face Benoit Paire in the first round of the tournament on Tuesday
‘The work and the sacrifices I’m making to be a top player are coming together,’ said Draper. ‘I still have so much to improve on. When I go out there on Monday, I’ll take confidence from the last few weeks. I feel like a different player from a few weeks ago.’
Meanwhile, 10 years on from his historic US Open title, fellow Brit Murray would rather look forward as he tries to squeeze the last drops from his illustrious career.
‘I don’t think about it (winning the US Open) ever, really, in my day-to-day life,’ reflected Murray. ‘The players I was competing against, as you see now, they were all great players. Now, they are being seen as the three best players of all time, on the men’s side. It wasn’t easy to win Slams in this era.
‘I feel good at the moment. Obviously the build-up has not been perfect but there were some good signs. I believe that I’ll put in a good performance.’
The ever-improving Norrie is the No 7 seed and GB’s best chance of a run in the tournament. He starts on Tuesday against the unpredictable Benoit Paire.
Dan Evans and Kyle Edmund are also in the men’s draw, while Harriet Dart plays on Monday and Raducanu begins her defence on Wednesday.
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